ARLINGTON, Texas − Gardner Minshew had waited for this opportunity for more than two years, having a chance to lead a game-winning drive.
But really, Minshew knew it shouldn’t have come down to that. He was in his first game replacing Jalen Hurts, who sat out with a strained shoulder. He twice led the Eagles to 10-point leads over the Dallas Cowboys, only to see both leads evaporate in a plethora of mistakes on both sides of the ball.
There were the four turnovers, including 2 in the last 4:20 of the game − Minshew’s second interception that led to a Cowboys field goal, followed by Miles Sanders’ fumble with 2:19 left that led to another field goal.
All of it was too much to overcome in the Eagles’ 40-34 loss to the Cowboys on Saturday as Dallas scored 20 points off Eagles’ turnovers.
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“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Minshew said. “You can’t turn the ball over four times and expect to beat a good team, so we’re going to have to go back and watch the tape. There are probably some things to clean up, but at the end of the day, you can’t stop yourself.”
Through it all, the Eagles still had one last chance, down 6 points with 1:41 left, when Minshew drove the Eagles down to the Cowboys’ 19 yard line with 34 seconds left.
But Minshew threw four straight incomplete passes, the final one a few feet beyond A.J. Brown’s reach in the end zone, and the Eagles fell 40-34 on Saturday.
“I had a ton of confidence, man,” Minshew said about that last drive. “We have some really good guys who can get the ball, we have a great offensive line that can protect us. It was just a matter of getting a couple chunk (plays) and giving ourselves a chance. We did, but didn’t capitalize when we got there.”
And that was true on both offense and defense as the Eagles (13-2) missed a chance to clinch the NFC East and the No. 1 seed throughout the NFC playoffs. They can still wrap up both with one more win or one more Cowboys (11-4) loss over the final two games of the regular season.
But this one will sting after five lead changes and three ties, despite the valiant efforts.
Minshew was 24-for-40 for 355 yards and 2 TDs. But he also threw two interceptions, both leading to Cowboys touchdowns.
The Eagles’ defense also had a hand in the defeat, despite Josh Sweat’s 42-yard interception return for a touchdown. That gave the Eagles a 10-0 lead early in the first quarter.
The biggest defensive mistake came midway through the fourth quarter, the Eagles leading 34-27. Dallas was facing a 3rd-and-30 following back-to-back sacks by Haason Reddick − he forced a fumble that the Cowboys recovered − and Sweat. But Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott aired the ball out down the sideline for T.Y. Hilton who got behind Darius Slay and Josiah Scott for 53 yards and a first down.
The Cowboys scored on that drive to tie the game.
“We shoulda had them stopped there, for sure,” Sweat said. “I don’t want to say that’s a given, but come on now. That was disappointing … It just took the air out.
“It was a bummer. Like I said, we just gotta be on the same page, really every play. We’re all gonna bounce back.”
The Eagles made a lot of plays. They just didn’t make enough.
On offense, Smith (113 yards receiving, 2 touchdowns) and Brown (103 yards) each went over 100 yards in the same game for the third time this season. And each made so many tough catches, whether it was Smith somehow keeping his feet inbounds on a sideline pattern, or Brown taking a shot to the knee on a reception late in the game.
But Dallas’ offense was just as impressive. Prescott threw for 347 yards and 3 TDs, while CeeDee Lamb had 120 yards receiving.
In the first half, Dallas racked up 210 yards and converted 6 of 8 third downs. The Eagles did get a stop on 3rd-and-goal from the 3 late in the first half, when Prescott threw incomplete into the end zone. The Cowboys settled for a field goal to tie the game at 17-all.
Then Minshew took the Eagles down to the Cowboys’ 29, where they settled for Jake Elliott’s 47-yard field goal with 11 seconds left for a 20-17 halftime lead.
The Eagles scored on their opening drive on the second half, when Smith was left all alone after Minshew’s fake to Sanders on 4th-and-2 from the Cowboys’ 13, while the defensive backs went with Dallas Goedert, lined up next to Smith.
“We knew they were going to play man, or in-and-out it,” Smith said. “So if it was in-and-out, I knew I was going to get the ball. If it was man, we knew Dallas was going to get it.”
That gave the Eagles a 27-17 lead with 9 minutes left in the third quarter. The Eagles couldn’t hold that lead, either. So the two teams went back and forth, like prize fighters in a heavyweight bout.
In the end, the Eagles were beaten on a TKO, done in by their own mistakes.
“This was a playoff game, a definite playoff game, and I’m kind of glad that we went through that,” Brown said. “We’re still growing. Every drive matters. That’s what it’s going to be like in the playoffs. I think just getting that experience right now, I think it means a lot.”
And yes, there very well could be a rematch sometime next month, in the playoffs.
3 key injuries
The Eagles lost three key starters during the course of the game. In the first half, rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis left to be examined for a concussion and did not return, and ornerback Avonte Maddox left with a toe injury. He was seen in a walking boot after the game.
In the fourth quarter, right tackle Lane Johnson left with an undisclosed injury and did not return.
More milestones for DeVonta, Brown
Smith went over 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career. He’s at 1,014 yards, joining Brown, who’s at 1,304 yards. It’s the first time in team history that the Eagles have had two receivers surpass 1,000 yards in the same season.
Smith, however, wasn’t really that enthused about his milestone because of the loss.
“We lost, so I don’t care for it too much, for real,” Smith said.
Dallas Goedert, meanwhile, returned Saturday after missing 5 games with a shoulder injury. He had 67 yards on 3 receptions. Goedert has 611 yards receiving this season.
Josh Sweat hits the pick-6
Sweat is known more for sacking the quarterback than he is for scoring touchdowns.
Yet there he was, picking off Prescott’s pass and returning it 42 yards for a touchdown with 9:18 in the first quarter, giving the Eagles a 10-0 lead. For Sweat, it’s his first career interception. Sweat did have one his freshman year at Florida State in 2015.
“He threw that (expletive) right where I was at,” Sweat said. “So I just took it. I was tired as hell, though. When I caught it, I was already tired. I couldn’t even get my legs up. But I was not letting Dak tackle me. No sir.”
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
